Views of Hermione (was:Re: witches of the world (was: Lavender vs Hermione)

[Charles Walker Jr]

No: HPFGUIDX 160440


> Betsy Hp:
> And we're back to making it all about Marietta again.  Sorry, but 
> I'm not talking about Marietta's actions.  I'm talking about 
> Hermione's action and only Hermione's actions.  No one (including 
> Marietta) held a gun to Hermione's head and said you must disfigure 
> your classmate. Hermione did that all by her little, heartless, 
> lonesome.
> 
> Hermione came up with a form of punishment that went out with the 
> 20th century.  (It's outlawed in most civilized countries, I 
> believe.)  I cannot admire her for that.    
> 
Charles:

 Marietta's actions by necessity figure into it whether you like it 
or not. Hermione put the jinx on the parchment in *self-defense*, not 
in some desire to disfigure someone. To use your own phrase, you keep 
watering down the very real danger that the DA members would be put 
in by anyone who betrayed them. This was a defensive act, not an 
offensive one. If, as you seem to be arguing, Hermione had tricked 
Marietta into being disfigured, I might agree with you. The reason 
Marietta's actions figure into this is *because if she had not 
betrayed the DA, the jinx would not have come into effect*. If anyone 
could be blamed other than Marietta for her disfigurement, its Cho, 
for pressuring her into making an agreement she didn't intend to 
keep. But that to me still sounds like trying to pass the buck 
for "poor disfigured Marietta" who just happened to try and land a 
load of people in Azkaban.

I don't think that Hermione should necessarily be admired, indeed I 
myself detest her. I do however defend her right to defend herself 
and the rest of the DA. Remember this is the WW, where they sell 
lollipops to kids that eat holes in their tongues, fanged frisbees 
that can take a bite out of those playing with them or even innocent 
bystanders, and they teach spells to 11 year olds like "petrificus 
totalus" that freezes their friends. Twelve year olds are taught 
to "duel", i.e., throw spells such as the afforementioned petrificus 
at each other. Heck, even look at the disarming spell. When enough 
force is put behind it, it can be devastating. Don't believe me? Look 
at what happened to Snape when three people decided to disarm him at 
once. In this case, what Hermione did was right. Especially when you 
*objectively* look at the major differences between real life and the 
WW.

Charles Walker